ANDREW EVANS, 36, from Penarth in Cardiff, has been elected as chairman of the South Wales branch of the Chartered Institute of Taxation.

ANDREW EVANS, 36, from Penarth in Cardiff, has been elected as chairman of the South Wales branch of the Chartered Institute of Taxation.

Mr Evans is a senior associate at regional law firm Edwards Geldard in Cardiff and specialises in corporate tax and employee incentives.

He will be responsible for co-ordinating the region's seminar programme, which runs from September to April each year and is open to local accountants, tax professionals and students who want to discuss topical issues and exchange information.

Mr Evans said, "Tax is an increasingly complex profession and by holding these regional lectures, we hope to be able to help lift the fog on some of the issues, as well as keep industry professionals up-to-date on all the current developments.

"I'm delighted to have been given the role as chairman, which I think complements my work at Edwards Geldard well, and I'm looking forward to getting started with this year's programme."

The Wales Management Council, tapping into management skills TINA STEPHENS has been appointed as North and Mid Wales executive for the Wales Management Council, the employer-led body set up by the Assembly Government to help strengthen management in all sectors of the economy.

She held a number of senior posts at the North East Wales Institute (NEWI) in Wrexham, before leaving two years ago to establish her own successful management development consultancy.

Mrs Stephens, who built her own managerial skills in the retail sector with Marks & Spencer and the Burton Group, has gone on to become an acknowledged expert in the development of managers at all levels.

During a distinguished academic career, first with Wolverhampton University and later NEWI, she has worked closely with a wide range of organisations, both public and private sector, to boost the performance of their executive teams.

A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), she is currently the body's chief examiner in three major areas of the syllabus, and has written extensively on human resource issues.

Clay Shaw Thomas, aggressive marketing ahead CHARTERED Accountants Clay Shaw Thomas has further strengthened its team with the appointment of Mike Trotman as marketing executive.

Joining from Cardiff based Caxton Facilities Management where he was business development manager, Mr Trotman will assume responsibility for all marketing activity on behalf of the firm.

"Mike joins the business at a great time as we are about to embark on a programme of significant change," said Gwyn Williams, partner.

"We recognise that we have to focus much more on how we communicate with our clients and adopt a more aggressive approach in the market place. To realise this we must ensure that we have the skills and experience in-house to make a real difference to how we attract and retain new business."

Cardiff University, new hierarchy for university THE senior positions in the merged Cardiff University, to be created from the merger of the University of Wales College of Medicine and Cardiff University, have been announced.

Four Pro Vice-Chancellors and seven University Board Directors have been named to join the senior team of Vice Chancellor, Dr David Grant, and two Provosts, Professor Stephen Tomlinson (also Deputy Vice-Chancellor) and Professor Hadyn Ellis.